Adventures in Movies: The Red Book Ritual/Who Invited Them

ABOUT THE EPISODE:

We begin the episode in a typical fashion by discussing current horror events.

When we covered X earlier this year, it never crossed our minds that it would be the first part of a trilogy. With Pearl hitting theaters and the announcement of MaXXXine, Ti West has at least three movies ready to go. We wonder how they are all connected and how far the story can actually go. It is about time for a new horror franchise, but can the X universe adequately fill that void?

Then it’s on to our featured new movie reviews. 

We here at Adventures in Movies love horror anthologies. They are fun in a unique way and are a throwback to the scary stories we read as kids.

The Red Book Ritual does not get off to the best start, but that is okay since anthologies are expected to be a hit-and-miss affair.

Unfortunately, things would get much worse.

The Red Book Ritual includes a story that one of us thought was the worst thing we have seen this year. It has comical voice acting, is horribly dubbed, and just ends. We try to figure out the confusing movie since it is inconsistent and seems to have no point other than to include jump scares and end its segments at random moments.

Who Invited Them was much more coherent.

The film is about a couple throwing a housewarming party at their fancy new house in The Hills. Unfortunately, they have some uninvited guests who do not seem to know that the night is over. They also harbor a dark secret.

Home invasion is a sub-genre that tends to make even the most hardened horror fan uncomfortable. The movies are built on the idea of how it can easily happen to you.

Who Invited Them is a Shudder original that takes things one step further. It is not a case of what might happen but something everyone in the audience has probably already experienced.

Obviously, the movie takes things to extremes, but there is a relatability that most of us do not find in other home invasion movies. These invaders have not forced their way in; they were invited — sort of. This puts the story in a slightly more comfortable and easygoing realm.

But was this a mistake?

Tension is important to these types of films, and Who Invited Them goes about building it in a way that will not work for some. We talk about whether something obviously being just a little off is enough to carry an entire thriller. Plus, we talk about subplots that exist just for the sake of it.

The Red Book Ritual is currently available to rent on most VOD platforms. Who Invited Them is now available to stream on Shudder.